Millers in Karachi stunned already anxious customers by increasing the cost of several flour kinds by Rs 4 per kg as of Friday, blaming a major decline in wheat imports from interior Sindh flood-affected districts.
The Sensitive Price Index, which measures inflation, continued to rise in the week that ended on August 25, reaching a record 44.58% year-on-year, according to data issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
In light of this, the cost of flour No. 2.5 has increased to Rs94 per kg from Rs90 per kg, while the cost of fine and ultra fine flour has increased to Rs96 per kg from Rs92 per kg.
The price for a 10 kilogramme bag of flour has been set at Rs945 as opposed to Rs905 for each bag.
Branded flour producers of five and ten kilogramme flour sacks released new trade pricing on Friday. For instance, the price of five kilogramme and ten kg bags of Bake Parlour fine flour has increased to Rs537 and Rs1055, respectively, from Rs517 and Rs1,015.
The prices shown above represent trade prices for merchants. Customers who were previously paying Rs. 550 and Rs. 1,050 will now pay, depending on the location, at least Rs. 570-580 and Rs. 1,100-1,120.
Five kilogramme and ten kg bags of Chakki flour from Bake Parlour are now available at a revised trade prices of Rs537 and Rs1,075 as opposed to Rs517 and Rs1,035. Retailers may charge customers an extra Rs 4-5 per kg, depending on the size of the bag.
In the markets, retailers are already charging Rs105-110 per kg for fine flour.
A miller said the arrival of wheat from the interior Sindh areas had shrunk to only 20 per cent in the last 15 days due to heavy floods and rains that have played havoc with the road infrastructure in the interior Sindh and even in Karachi.
A 100 kilogramme bag of wheat cost between Rs 7,600 and Rs 7,800 15 days ago. There is no grain on the open market right now.
He claims that large trucks carrying more than 500 100 kg wheat bag sacks are reluctant to risk damaging their vehicles on the deteriorating road system.
The miller expressed surprise that the price of wheat is growing more quickly than that of sugar, which varies by area and costs between Rs85 and Rs95 per kg.
